Cycling 74 » Topic: iTunes library in Max/MSP

iTunes library in Max/MSP

for[e]sight — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 12:52:45 +0000

hi everyone, i’m quite new to Max/MSP and i’m loving every bit of it. i love the endless ‘but wait, there’s more!’ to this app.

anyway, i’ve decided to come here for some wise words before i dive head into a project i’m not sure is possible.

here’s my question:

i’ve recently got myself the Ms Pinky (www.mspinky.com) system for playing digital audio files with the special vinyls. it works great so far, but its annoying that i need to drag folders/tracks from Finder or iTunes to the BinkyToy and Maxi-Patch apps to choose the songs i want to play.

i know that iTunes reads its library info from an XML file. is it possible to use this XML file in Max to retrieve the library data and create a GUI similar to Maxi-Patch, but with a searchable iTunes library below the decks?

is it even remotely possible? if yes, any tips or ready-made objects/patches that already do this?

thanks a bunch!

Re: iTunes library in Max/MSP

vade — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 14:18:39 +0000

use Jasch’s detox, which is an XML parser for Max

jasch.ch/maxobjects.com

v a d e //

http://www.vade.info
abstrakt.vade.info

On Aug 24, 2006, at 8:52 AM, Rafi Dean wrote:

>
> hi everyone, i’m quite new to Max/MSP and i’m loving every bit of
> it. i love the endless ‘but wait, there’s more!’ to this app.
>
> anyway, i’ve decided to come here for some wise words before i dive
> head into a project i’m not sure is possible.
>
> here’s my question:
>
> i’ve recently got myself the Ms Pinky (www.mspinky.com) system for
> playing digital audio files with the special vinyls. it works great
> so far, but its annoying that i need to drag folders/tracks from
> Finder or iTunes to the BinkyToy and Maxi-Patch apps to choose the
> songs i want to play.
>
> i know that iTunes reads its library info from an XML file. is it
> possible to use this XML file in Max to retrieve the library data
> and create a GUI similar to Maxi-Patch, but with a searchable
> iTunes library below the decks?
>
> is it even remotely possible? if yes, any tips or ready-made
> objects/patches that already do this?
>
> thanks a bunch!

Re: iTunes library in Max/MSP

Bruno Zamborlin — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 18:35:13 +0000

With the iTunes XML file you can just read mp3 informations (like Name Artist Composer Album Location ecc…).
I’m not sure about your question, but if the problem is just to parse XML file, you can write a javascript parser inside Max, using (for instance) this library: http://xmljs.sourceforge.net/

Vade, I don’t know yet Jasch’s detox, thank you for information.
Now server is down, I’ll try later, I’m curious.

Bruno

Re: iTunes library in Max/MSP

Bruno Zamborlin — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 18:37:15 +0000

Sorry, the server works good, the link is wrong: http://www.jasch.ch

Re: iTunes library in Max/MSP

yacine — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 19:10:50 +0000

was it on purpose to “forget” those shortcuts to set the types of pack inlets in pak ?
I was so used to write pack i f … that I always forget that it doesn’t work with pak .
maybe it’s to late now to add them …
hummm …
just to say…

//yac

Re: iTunes library in Max/MSP

Jeremy Bernstein — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 20:07:32 +0000

Yep, it was on purpose. Those shortcuts are non-documented, kept-
around-for-legacy-reasons, and not-guaranteed-to-work-forever
aberrations on the otherwise beautiful face of pack.

Am 24.08.2006 um 21:10 schrieb Yacine Sebti:

> was it on purpose to “forget” those shortcuts to set the types of
> pack inlets in pak ?
> I was so used to write pack i f … that I always forget that it
> doesn’t work with pak .
> maybe it’s to late now to add them …
> hummm …
> just to say…
>
> //yac